Catskill Rescue Squad pay rates OK'd

CATSKILL, N.Y. -- The Town Board has set hourly pay rates for Catskill Rescue Squad employees at $18 for those with paramedic certification and $17 for those certified as emergency medical technicians.

At a board meeting Tuesday, town Supervisor Joseph Leggio said a previously adopted $20 per hour rate for paramedic certification was intended only to be applied if the squad upgraded its level of service.

"We created a line item and job title as paramedic ... believing if we hired some part-time people and we had them on staff and we (wanted) to go to a paramedic-level service, we'd be ready," he said. "Maybe in our haste ... we didn't clarify that. When we ratified our contract some of the people believed that we were going to give the full-time employees that (rate of) pay, even though we're not a paramedic level service."

Officials said the new pay rates represent a $1 per hour increase for paramedic certified staff and an increase of about $1.50 an hour for those with EMT certification.

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Leggio said there are two part-time and two full-time squad members with paramedic level certification.

Some board members said there is concern that Greene County Emergency Medical System won't be able to provide services because of rising costs.

"It's our fear that at one point that we may have to go to a paramedic service based upon all of the issues that (Greene County) is having with their fly car system," town Councilman Gary Carlson said.

Because Greene County Emergency Medical System is a not-for-profit corporation, Leggio said, benefits cannot be provided through government agencies.

"They're not a municipality, so through some loophole, their Workmen's (Compensation insurance) is going from $6,000 a year to $86,000," he said. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that costs is going to be borne by the people who are using the agency. We are the largest user of the (advanced life support) service and we contribute the most."